Clothes-tongs.



I W. C. DENNIS.

CLOTHES TONGS.

APPLIGATION FILED 001.7, 1911.

L8@,898, Patented D9119, 1913.

WILLXAM GLARK DENNIS, F LITCHIIELD, MINNESOTA.

CLOTHES-T ONGS.

aoeoeea.

' To azl'wkomit concern:

' and holding Be it known that I, W'ILLIAM'CLARK DEN- *1s, a citizen-of the United States, residing at Litchfield, in the county of Meeker and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new. and useful Improvements in Clothes- Tongs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in devices of the class adapted to grasp articles of clothing, cloths orsimilar products where it is desired to lift said articles without having the hands of the operator come in contact with the articles or the fluids in which the articles have been immersed.

. The device which forms the subject matter of this application for patent is especially adapted for lifting clothes from the boiling water in a wash boiler or from the hot water in a washing machine so that the user of the device will not be obliged to subject his or her hands to contact with the hot water. It is also adapted for use in handling articles of clothing which have been recently dyed and are saturated with the dyeing fluid.

The especial object of the improvements embodied herein is to produce a device which costs little to make and at the same time provides elle'ctive means for gripping the articles clamped by the device so that they will not drop or come in contact with the hands of the operator.

A further object is to provide a gripping device that will not readily become heated from contact with the hot water in which the articles of laundry are submerged;

A still further object is to provide a device that will be extremely durable and which may be used for any purpose requiring the handling of flexible material within the grippinglimitations of the device.

In the drawing:-Figure 1 is an elevational view of the device in its open or inoperative position; Fig. 2 is a similar-v ew showing the device in operative position, and-Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view 1n plan of the gripping ends of the device.

lhe device constructed as shown is made of wire of suitable gage uses for which the fin- If the article is of fabric for use lamp chimneys, it will be underhe made in proportion from a single piece and temper for the ished product is intended.

in cleaning stood the device will Specification of Letters Eatent.

Patented Dec. 9, it lfi.

Application filed (lotober 7, 1911. Serial No. 653,429.

and the wire will be relatively small. If, however, the article is intended for use in connection with laundry operations or dye vat operations, it will be considerably larger, heavier and stronger.

The single wire of which the device is constructed is bent upon itself to form two arms which are connected by a coil 4:. The

wire in each of said arms is then spirally wound with the helices of varying diameter so as to provide the tapering gripping portions 5 in the middle of the arms. The wire of one of the arms is then bent inwardly to form an offset shoulder 6 at an angle to the arm and then bent to form a loop '2' elliptical in general contour, and is again bent at the base of the loop to form a shoulder 6 parallel with the shoulder 6 and the free end of the wire is coiled around the portion of the arm remaining between the shoulders 6, 6 and the handle 5 as shown 'at S and is extended through the coil 5.-

The wire of the other arm of the device is bent almost identically like the arm above described except that the loop 9 is suhiciently larger in diameter than -the loop 7 to permit the latter to pass through the loop 9 as far as the oppositely inwardly projecting shoulders 6, 6*, will permit.

The device will be constructed of tempered wire so that the coil 4; will form an eXpasion spring the normal tension of which willbe to expand or separate the two arms of the device to the position shown in Fig. 1. If it be desired to grasp a piece of cloth or an article of clothing with the device, the loops 7 and 9 will be pushed on opposite sides of the article and the handles 5 will be brought together by the operator with sutlicient pressure on the two arms to -cause the loop 7 to pass through the loop 9. If the fabric is thin and the article smal the loop 7 and the fabric which it engages will pass through the loop 9 as indicated i-i Fig. 2, but it the fabric is heavy this movement of the loop 7 will be limited but in any event the gripping action. of the two loopswill be suflicien-t to prevent the fabric or article of clothing from slipping betweenthe loops or jaws of the gripping device.

The inwardly bent shoulders 6, 6 and the twisted shanks 8 stiffen and strengthen the arms so that wire of relatively small gage may be used for lifting heavy articles. The form of the handles 5 facilitates keeping the device cool by: reason of :the large radiating surface but "suchhandles are, of course, Well knownin the art.

1 am aware that various devices of this nature have been patented embodying grip ping jaws and cooperating handles and I do not therefore broadly claim such a con struction but What I claim. and ters Patent, is

1. A 'grippingdevice of the character do scribed, consisting of-'a single piece of wire bent to forni connected handle portions and gripping loops theloops being soproportioned and arranged 'that one will "pass desire to secure, byfLetthrough the other ,when the loops ares brought into operative position.

. 2. A- gripping device, consisting of a single piece of wire bent midway its length to form a coil?) and each section of 'wirefl20 wHZtEIA ooLARK DENNIS, Witnesses:

Jonx T. MULLEN, I

' Roar. W. SWANSON. 

